South African Medical Research Council

Under the theme “Malaria Elimination: A Moving Target?”, The SAMRC’s Malaria Research Group (MRG) is set to host the 9th Annual Southern Africa Malaria Research Conference from 31 July - 2 Aug 2024 at the Future Africa Campus at the University of Pretoria. This year’s conference comes at a crucial time as southern African countries, including South Africa, face significant challenges in their journey towards malaria elimination by 2030.   The conference promises to be a landmark event, fostering collaboration and innovation to tackle one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. https://lnkd.in/dsPJ6f3r

Warm bowls and cups of soup. On this rainy #MandelaDay in Cape Town, teams at SAMRC delivered the 'Jars of Hope'. Along the way, soup cups were shared with the homeless. Our Durban regional office also joined, delivering their 'Jars of Hope' and providing health research information to clinics and shelters that serve communities on a daily basis. “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” Nelson Mandela

WEBINAR: Advances in Psychedelic Medicine The SAMRC Mental health, Alcohol, Substance Use and Tobacco Research Unit in collaboration with the University of KwaZulu-Natal invite you to a webinar presented by Prof David Nutt. Professor David Nutt specialises in Neuropsychopharmacology and is the Director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit in the Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College, London. Click on this link to register for the webinar: https://lnkd.in/dVw5a3yb

In a technical report recently prepared for the SAMRC, Prof Tom Moultrie and Prof Rob Dorrington highlight operational and logistical difficulties encountered in planning and running South Africa’s 2022 census. The report is available here: https://lnkd.in/dcXUBT3z

Senior Scientist, Sizwe Nkambule features in this months edition of the Public Sector Manager magazine. He forms part of a team that conducted groundbreaking research which helped the country avert the loss of more lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. Launched in 2020, as an extension of several interventions to support the country’s efforts to manage the Covid-19 pandemic, the SAMRC Wastewater Surveillance and Research Programme is still in place. The young geographer specialises in understanding the interactions between humans, the environment and the space in which these interactions occur. More on this story: https://lnkd.in/d3GnV7MB

Gen S came to our Pretoria campus for the first time, hosting Gr 11 learners who got to learn more about the work being done by the Biostatistics Research Unit, TB Platform, SAFOODS and the Gender and Health Research Unit. Gen S 2024 was completed yesterday at the Durban campus, with learners spending time with our staff at the HIV and Other Infectious Diseases Research Unit, Biostats, SAPRIN and Health Systems Research Unit. The learners also visited our clinical research sites at the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI). Gen S hopes to inspire the younger generation towards future careers in Health Science, gaining hands on practical training. We do it again next year. We cannot wait!

The SAMRC through its five sites under HIV and Other Infectious Diseases Research Unit (HIDRU), contributed to an international multicentre study that resulted in a 100% efficacy for HIV prevention injectable Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). More on this: https://lnkd.in/ds5s8q7N

The Board of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and its staff are excited to welcome Professor Ntobeko Ntusi as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the SAMRC. Professor Ntusi officially assumes his role today, taking over from Professor Glenda Gray, who spent ten remarkable years as the President and CEO of the SAMRC. More on this: https://lnkd.in/dEvFbj3F

A guard of honour to salute Professor Glenda Gray, President & CEO of the SAMRC. Having served 10 years within this role, her leadership leaves the nobility of impactful scientific outcomes that are dedicated to improving the health of all South Africans. She will continue to work as part of SAMRC, specifically within the BRILLIANT consortium.